Symbolic Programming Vs . the A . P . Curriculum

A popular metaphor in recent years compares the process of writing a computer program to that of designing and building a bridge. The point of the metaphor is that it's not acceptable to debug a new bridge design by building the bridge, opening it to traffic, and waiting to see whether or not it collapses. People who use this metaphor argue that the analogous technique isn't acceptable in computer programming either. The phrase software engineering was coined to evoke the comparison with civil engineering and other, similar disciplines. The view of programming as software engineering has had a profound influence on computer science education. The purpose of this paper is to examine that influence, particularly at the high school level through the College Board Advanced Placement curriculum, and suggest an alternative view.